Hydroxyl-terminated peptidomimetic inhibitors of neuronal nitric oxide synthase

Bessie N.A. Mbadugha, Jiwon Seo, Haitao Ji, Pavel Martásek, Linda J. Roman, Thomas M. Shea, Huiying Li, Thomas L. Poulos, Richard B. Silverman*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

12 Scopus citations

Abstract

The X-ray structure of previously studied dipeptidomimetic inhibitors bound in the active site of neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) presented a possibility for optimizing the strength of enzyme-inhibitor interactions as well as for enhancing bioavailability. These desirable properties may be attainable by replacement of the terminal amino group of the parent compounds (1-6) with a hydroxyl group (11-13, and 18-20). The hypothesized effect would be twofold: first, a change from a positively charged amino group to a neutral hydroxyl group might afford more drug-like character and blood-brain barrier permeability to the inhibitors; second, as suggested by docking studies, the incorporated hydroxyl group might displace an active site water molecule with which the terminal amino group of the original compounds indirectly hydrogen bonds. In vitro activity assays of the hydroxyl-terminated analogs (11-13 and 18-20) showed greater than an order of magnitude increase in Ki values (decreased potency) relative to the amino-terminated compounds. These experimental data support the importance to enzyme binding of a potential electrostatic interaction relative to a hydrogen bonding interaction.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)3681-3690
Number of pages10
JournalBioorganic and Medicinal Chemistry
Volume14
Issue number11
DOIs
StatePublished - Jun 1 2006

Funding

We are grateful to the National Institutes of Health (GM 49725 to R.B.S., T32 AG00260 through the Northwestern University Center for Drug Discovery and Chemical Biology to B.N.A.M, and GM52419 and HL30050 to Prof. Bettie Sue Masters, in whose laboratory P.M., L.J.R., and T.M.S. work) for financial support of this work.

Keywords

  • Computer modeling
  • Enzyme inhibitors
  • Hydroxyl-terminated
  • Neuronal nitric oxide synthase
  • Nitric oxide synthase
  • Peptidomimetic

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Biochemistry
  • Molecular Medicine
  • Molecular Biology
  • Pharmaceutical Science
  • Drug Discovery
  • Clinical Biochemistry
  • Organic Chemistry

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